Saturday, December 22, 2012

Review: Hera Queen of Gods by T.D. Thomas

Hera couldn't care less what the other gods think, even when it's about her. And it often is. Frankly, Hera couldn't care less about anything, except doing her duty as queen - protecting order and defending the mortal world against any threats. But when the Fates go missing, Hera and a handful of other gods must temporarily become mortal to search the human world for the missing goddesses.

Hera finds that mortality begins to change her. It's not just the loss of her divine powers. She expected that. It's deeper somehow. It's affecting how she thinks, how she feels, what's important to her. And it gets much worse after she meets Justin, who defies every prejudice she once had

about mortals. At the worst possible time, and despite all her efforts, Hera's black-and-white world starts to unravel.

My Blabber-ific Review:

Two Words basically sum up Hera Queen of Gods...Frickin Awsom Yep that's it that's my whole review...it's awesome, you have to read It, end of story...

Ok ok an awesome book deserves an awesome blabbering filled review so here it goes...
My History teacher must have forgot to teach me about the epic-ness of Greek mythology or I just fell asleep in class (which is more likely) because my knowledge of the Greeks is basically limited to Hercules, yep Hercules..the Disney film which probably has zero facts that are actually real (ok as real as you can with myths). Sad but true....

So to help all the other bad asses out there, who use to sleep in class I've made you a little outline of the different gods (who are basically the main characters)......

Hera:

The queen of the gods and goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, heirs, kings and empires. She is the wife of Zeus and daughter of Cronus and Rhea. She was usually depicted as a beautiful woman wearing a crown and veil and holding a royal, lotus-tipped staff.

Zeus:

The king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky, weather, thunder, lightning, law, order, and fate. He is the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea, whom he overthrew after Cronus swallowed his brothers and sisters and he is brother-husband to Hera. In artwork, he was depicted as a regal, mature man with a sturdy figure and dark beard.

Demeter:

The goddess of agriculture, horticulture, grain and harvest. Demeter is a daughter of Cronus and Rhea and sister of Zeus, by whom she bore Persephone. She was depicted as a mature woman, often crowned and holding sheafs of wheat and a torch.

Athena:The goddess of wisdom, warfare, battle strategy, heroic endeavour, handicrafts and reason. According to most traditions, she was born from Zeus's head fully formed and armored. She was depicted crowned with a crested helm, armed with shield and a spear.

Apollo:The god of music, healing, plague, the sun, prophecies, and poetry; associated with light, truth and the sun. He is Artemis' twin brother and Hermes' elder (half) brother, and son of Zeus and Leto. He was depicted as a handsome, beardless youth with long hair and various attributes including a laurel wreath, bow and quiver, raven, and lyre.

Artemis:Virgin goddess of the hunt, wilderness, animals, young girls, childbirth and plague. In later times she became associated with the moon. She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and twin sister of Apollo. In art she was usually depicted as a young woman dressed in a short knee-length chiton and equipped with a hunting bow and a quiver of arrows. In addition to the bow, her attributes include hunting spears, animal pelts, deer and other wild animals.

Hermes:The god of travel, messengers, trade, thievery, cunning wiles, language, writing, diplomacy, athletics, traps, and animal husbandry. He is the messenger of the gods, a psychopomp who leads the souls of the dead into Hades' realm, and the son of Zeus and Maia. He was depicted either as a handsome and athletic beardless youth, or as an older bearded man. His attributes include the herald's wand or caduceus, winged sandals, and a traveler's cap.So now your a bit more clued up, or maybe not at all because you skipped over it, which i wouldn't blame you for doing....learning about Greek mythology can be a bit boring...expect when your reading HQOG which is never boring.any how..I better get on with the review.
HQOG is a true Young Adult Novel, the writing style, character development, plots etc all have a young feel to it which adults & teens could easily enjoy...don't get me wrong it's totally not a light hearted, everyone's happy kinda story there's actually a lot of fighting & death but all within the YA limits.
Romance blossoms (of course it does, I can't read book with out romance in it) & friendships are made and broken.
all classic ya plots, but it works.. So very very well, i was on the edge of seat waiting to find out what happened next even tho, sometimes I had a pretty god Idea. T.D. Had me laughing out loud (yes actually out loud!), giggling, fuming like mad and even close to tears. ..It was one of those novels you just don't want to end because your enjoying the ride way too much. I was very close to falling in love with this novel but just couldn't quite take the plunge, maybe it was the repetitiveness at times or the immaturity shown through the characters or just the lack of detailed writing.... What ever It was it hasn't stop me from seriously enjoying the hell out of reading it & it hasn't Stop me from giving it 5 stars on goodreads and it sure as hell is not going to stop me from getting my hands on the next book! would I recommend it? Defiantly! But mostly to lovers of YA. would I re-read it? maybe..... would I read more in the series? try & stop me! ;)